In September, the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) started its vaccination drive for its member workers as part of the agency’s “Reform. Rebound. Recover: 1M Jobs (1MJ) Project”, aiming to generate one million of direct and indirect jobs all over the country from June to December 2021.

In line with the project, ECOP works closely with the Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) which co-chairs the National Employment Recovery Strategy Task Force to fast-track vaccination for workers across regions.

In a recently concluded meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID)-Technical Working Group (TWG), DOLE discussed the need for vaccines to be made available for workers, giving priority to workers belonging in sectors involved in the 1Million Jobs Project (constructors, hotels, restaurants, tourism, semiconductor and electronics, exporters, and MSMEs).

The vaccination plan is meant to existing workers as well as new hires, and the Government gives the doses for free.

In view of the heightened restrictions of the government, companies are having a hard time keeping their businesses afloat and retaining their employees. To help employers by providing ease of access to services, one of which is this vaccination plan that will enable employees of companies to get vaccinated faster, ECOP started disseminating to its partner associations the form which needs to be filled out by companies to identify the quantity of the vaccinations needed and the specific locations where these vaccines will be administered.

Individuals working in the manufacturing and construction industry in the capital region will be the first in the line-up to receive their vaccine jabs, while discussions with other industry associations are underway for the planned rollout in their respective sectors.

Today, more than 1,000 workers in the sectors received their first dose of the Covid vaccine from the close to half a million doses of special allocation seen to help speed up the reopening of the economy.

The Confederation is positive that working doubly hard together to provide a healthy & safe environment, improve workers mobility, and comprehensive financial aid, will be conducive for the full and safe reopening of the economy.

During the kickoff event of the 1M Jobs (1MJ) Project held in Intramuros, Manila, on 8 September 2021, ECOP President Sergio Ortiz-Luis, Jr. said: “Today, we take a big leap in this project through a vaccination program for our workers, so they will be fully equipped against COVID-19 when they start or resume to work. Initially, this vaccination plan was only intended for new hires. But ECOP worked with the Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) for the inclusion of existing workers by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF)".

Moreover, on August 2021 the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce (FACC) Foundation Inc., in collaboration with and support of the Coalition of Filipino American Chambers of Commerce (COFACC), the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) and the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (PHILEXPORT) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) under the “Saves Lives, Donate Vaccines to the Philippines” project to finance the purchase of coronavirus vaccines and the acquisition of testing facilities to offer free tests to marginalized workers and their families.

Under the MOU, the three Philippine business organizations expressed their desire to receive cash donations that would be generated from the fund-raising project conducted by the FACC Foundation starting August 11 to December 15, 2021. 

ECOP President said the project will not only save the lives of their workers of member-companies and their families, but also the enterprises themselves, especially the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) who are members of the three business organizations.